Non-Trivial Interview Questions for Non-Technical Hires

Non-Trivial Interview Questions for Non-Technical Hires

Insight from Andrew Chen

Conducting an interview process for non-technical roles can often feel “vibes-based.”

Sure, you can talk about previous work experience and run through your boilerplate behavioral questions, but it’s often difficult to get a clear and tangible read on competence.

So, how do you move beyond the vibe check and gauge the candidate’s ability to perform in the role? 

1. First, ask questions (or present exercises) that measure the candidate’s ability to produce the role’s deliverables. For example, if you’re hiring someone for a growth marketing role, ask candidates to produce an example plan for distributing the growth budget across tests and channels. Or an outline of a new campaign and a description of the assets they would need to launch.

2. It’s also worth gauging their familiarity with their field/profession in a wider context. Can they speak intelligently to broader conversations happening within their field? Again, using the example of a growth marketer, asking a question like, “Have you seen any interesting uses of AI in growth marketing recently?” could reveal a lot about their involvement, interest, and competence.

3. Finally, ask questions that force the candidate to present their understanding of their role’s impact on the business as a whole. One question that can provide a lot of insight is, “What are the metrics that you believe someone hired for this role should be graded against?” A candidate who actually knows their stuff will know which metrics demonstrate real impact and the levers that they would need to pull to hit goals.

Learn More: A comprehensive guide to non-technical interview questions